I recently received the cookbook The Naptime Chef by the awesome food blogger Kelsey Banfield. I have been a fan of Kelsey’s for some time and have been eager to get my hands on her beautiful book. I choose a simple and extremely adaptable recipe for green beans and added a few of my very own spins. I love taking the simple and dressing it up with all kinds of ribbons and bows. In the book Kelsey has a simple, classic side dish recipe: Green Beans with Toasted Almonds, Olive Oil and Sea Salt. Perfect as is.
I took this great concept and made it into a full vegetarian/meatless meal. Now you have a few ways to get more veggies into your day!
Thee green beans can be served long and lean. You can also chop them into fun, little bite-sized pieces. If you do this, then with each bite you get beans, quinoa, nuts and blue cheese! Heavenly I tell ya.
Have you ever noticed how by simply changing up the way you slice something makes it so much more fun?! Try that from time to time with your veggies. Big impact for very little effort.
For this recipe, I switched up the almonds to walnuts, the olive oil to walnut oil. The cheese and quinoa make it a full meal heftier side dish.
If blue cheese is not your thing, how about feta or shaved parmesan? Anything you desire…
I love olive oil, but I also keep many flavored oils in my fridge as well. Have you ever tried walnut, hazelnut or pecan oil? If not you must. They don’t handle high heat too well, but they are great finishing oils as they add lots of nutty flavor.
The recipes in The Naptime Chef cookbook are simple, diverse and the content is well laid out so you can cook up healthy meals for your family in hardly any time at all. On the book cover, it says Fitting Great Food into Family Life. Over here at MarlaMeridith.com that makes a whole lot of sense. We always make time to prepare great food for every single meal of each day.
Thinking and planning ahead makes meal time a lot less chaotic. Kelsey has a “naptime stopwatch” for every recipe so you know what kind of timing you are up against. Neat huh!
No matter what is going on in our lives, great food is essential & planning out the time to prepare it is mandatory.
Be assured that the ingredient lists are kept to a minimum, but the recipes created by Kelsey are bursting with flavor and style. The photographs in the book are lovely too!
From breakfasts to soups and stews, desserts, drinks, breads, main dishes to a great list of pantry staples…Kelsey will set you in the right direction to making those wonderful meals.
What is your favorite recipe using vegetables?
Click HERE for Recipe Details.
Green Bean Recipe Links
- Asian Style Sesame and Garlic Green Beans
- Baco-Fried Green Beans Perry’s Plate
- Green Beans with Mushrooms and Lemon Bumbles and Light
- Lemony Green Beans Kalyn’s Kitchen
- Long Green Beans with Anchovies and Sriracha The Endless Meal
MarlaMeridith.com Disclosure: I was sent a review copy of this wonderful cookbook. All comments, thoughts, opinions, and photographs (other than the book jacket) are my own.
My mouth is watering and it’s only breakfast time. I certainly know what I’m having for dinner. Beautiful book!
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I love the colors of this dish, and like you said it’s a great way to get more vegetables into your diet. Delicious!
I would love to win this cookbook!
I am already following you on Pinterest and I had already pinned this post before realizing it was a giveaway entry criterion! 🙂
I’m following you on Twitter!
I’m following @TheNaptimeChef on Twitter!
I follow your blog through Google Reader. I think that should count as following via RSS feed.
I’ve added your blog to “Our Favorite Reads” on our blog.
A lovely salad! That combination is perfect and refined.
Cheers,
Rosa xx
I’ve posted this post on Facebook about the cookbook giveaway!
I have so many of your recipes pinned on Pinterest, it’s hard to choose one that I would like to try! My most recent “love” has been the Roasted Strawberry Sandwich Cookies.
This looks great! I think I’ll have to put a quinoa salad on the menu for dinner tonight.
Holy crap that quinoa dish is GORG. I’d love ze book!
Looks like a great salad for spring!
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Looks delicious! I’m an RSS google reader subscriber!
I’m an email subscriber.
Quinoa is a versatile grain that I love to incorporate into my meals and this one is tops for its nutritious value and colorful appearance……Love it !!
This dish looks so beautiful and refreshing. All great ingredients. I will definitely make this.
I’m following you on Pinterest and I pinned this post. 🙂
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I tweeted about this giveaway. https://twitter.com/#!/grobiemum/status/180330854613123072
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I voted for your Thai Spiced French Fries
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I love the adaptations you’ve made to already simple side dish! So creative!
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What a great, simple, healthful recipe! I love it. And you’re so right that simply how you cut something can totally change the whole experience. It’s good to keep in mind. This looks like a wonderful recipe.
What a wonderful cookbook to have. I’m always looking for new recipes and healthy food that fits into my family’s life.
Yum! I love the idea to chop the green beans small. 🙂
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Your Coconut Cornbread Muffins look awesome! Candied ginger!
I follow you on instagram. 🙂
This recipe looks fantastic. The blue cheese is a great finishing touch. Love the combo of flavors.
Great giveaway, Marla! I love this recipe for green beans, too. The flavors you used are just fabulous. Thanks for sharing this giveaway, your recipe and your beautiful photos!
yum!
I follow you on twitter – and might just have to give green beans another chance after seeing your quinoa-oriented spin!
THis recipe looks so yummy and it is always so inspiring to see bloggers with their own cookbooks!
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This looks delicious and I think my kids might actually eat it too! Can’t wait to try it. And I soooo need this cookbook!
I’m already following you on pinterest. Just pinned this post.
I just found your site a few days ago so I haven’t tried anything yet, but I have the chicken curry with sweet potato on the menu for next Monday. Looking forward to trying it and many more in the future.
I now follow the naptimechef on twitter (@ssmast)!
Sarah M
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I also now follow you on twitter, too! (@ssmast)
I love the name of the cookbook!
Sarah M
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Keeping the faith that it only takes one entry to win 😉
I would love to win the Naptime Chef’s cookbook! This recipe really sounds good too!
I’m an email subscriber. Yum! Throw some grilled fish or chicken on there and presto! dinner! Delicious! Spring is in the air. Love it. Pretty pics Marla! xo
This is absolutely beautiful! I love the bright green of the green beans, it’s so refreshing! My family will love this recipe [:
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i would like to try your recipe for sweet potato fries
voted for your fries
Creative way to share this giveaway: liked this post on facebook, also told my coworkers and sisters to enter
voted for your fries
followed you on pinterest and pinned this post
i’d like to try the blueberry lemon muffins recipe
Naptime is my most productive time. I NEED this book!!!! 🙂
I voted for your fries!
Pin http://pinterest.com/pin/225461525065250263/
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The lemon basil ice cream sounds like just the thing to keep me refreshed on these hot, humid summer days I’m expecting!
I’m following you on Twitter!
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Thank you…I’m new to clean eating and would love to be more inspired by this new book…I’m following you and Naptime Chef
I voted for you dish.
I tweeted about the contest.
I am following you on twitter
I am following the Naptime Chef
I always love quinoa but I’m never quite sure how to incorporate more of it in my diet. Love this recipe! Blue cheese rocks!!
And thank you so much for the shout out 🙂
Would like to try stuffed baked apples recipe
Voted for your fries
i followed you on twitter..
i already follow you on pinterest and am going to repin this right now!
Congrats Denise, you are the lucky winner of this FAB book!
I follow your RSS feed and I just copied the almond chickpea flour cookie recipe – will likely make it this week and posted your link on my facebook page as well.
Who knew green beans and a vegetarian meal could look so good?! Absolutely beautiful images, Marla! The light is gorgeous.
Thanks Mike, I had tons of fun with this shoot. The beans taste great too!!
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What a great spring-time recipe. Walnuts and green beans is one of my favorite combos!
I came here looking for quinoa recipes! I knew you wouldn’t let me down!
YUM, love all these wonderful, hearty ingredients!
I love green beans. I would prefer them long ‘n’ lean and cut-up into bite sized pieces. Both ways you prepared them look amazing!
So delicious and healthy! What a great way to showcase fresh and simple ingredients to make a mouth watering dish!
This recipe is just amazing. It’s so easy to make and so delicious. I just can’t stop eating when I make it.
this looks super yummy
Instead of discarding the bean water with all those nutrients in it, you can use it to cook the quinoa!
This is a great point!! It would add some great flavor as well 🙂 Thanks!